Mercy Church is Moving to Olathe
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Mercy Church is moving back home to Olathe this summer (Our first Sunday in Olathe will be June 7, 2015), the city where it all began 13 years ago on January 5, 2003! Wow, 13 years ago... gesh, I am getting old!
I don't even know where to start this blog really, so I'll just start: We moved from Olathe down to Prairie Village back in February of 2010 with hopes and dreams of continuing to fulfill the vision and mission of "leading people to a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ" ... without being weird about it! And we have reached many wonderful people, many of whom will be a part of the move back to Olathe, but we never hit stride like we intended. There have been several people over the last 6 years who have said that, "Mercy Church restored my faith in God AND the church!" And because of that how can I have regrets for the work we did accomplish down in Prairie Village. There are people and relationships that have been forged that would have never happened had we not moved.
I have pondered, as anyone would, did we miss God moving from Olathe in the first place? I mean it was going so well, why the move? I can honestly say I do not feel we missed God. And for whatever purpose God lead us to move to Prairie Village, and now He is leading us back to Olathe. Until God visits me and gives me the "whys" to all that happens in life's journey, I just continue to follow Him the best I can.
I could get into all the reasons I feel we didn't ever thrive in Prairie Village like we had planned, or like we had in Olathe, but that's all water under the bridge now. There's no point or value in coulda-shoulda-wouldas! (I do believe there are great benefits in me and the team knowing the reasons, but for the sake of this blog post it's not important for me to share them. Though I will say if you are a church planter it's critically important to know your city, it's culture, it's vibe, and especially know all the demographics.)
The bottom line for me and Mercy Church is that we (7 Elders and 4 Staff) looked at where we were, and looked at our vision and felt that we needed to move to a community that we could reach our full potential as a church community. And as they say in the business world, "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION are the three most important things" when looking for a place to launch a business (and this would include launching a church).
If you are interested in attending Mercy Church Olathe, or being a part of the launch team we are assembling, please email me directly and I will get you in touch with the right team member for whatever opportunities you are interested in here at Mercy: tj@mercychurchkc.com
I would like to conclude this blog post by saying I am sorry for those of you who are hurt that we are moving. I am sad, and do wish we could make everyone happy. I know it's not possible, but it is still my wish.
As we prepare for the official public launch date we are assembling a Dream Team ... if you are interested in helping plant a thriving church in Olathe with a vision of leading people to a healthy relationship with Jesus without being weird, please contact us!
Available Leadership Positions:
Worship Leader
Kid's Life Coordinator
Youth Pastor
Small Group Pastor
